Feature Request: Configurable Browser & Reopen Closed GUI Tabs in Plannotator #135
Description
Title
Feature Request: Configurable Browser (CLI & GUI) & Reopen Closed GUI Tabs in Plannotator
Description
First of all, thank you for building plannotator — it has been very useful in my daily workflow.
I’d like to request two related usability improvements regarding how plannotator opens and manages GUI/browser tabs.
1. Allow configuring the browser used by plannotator (CLI & GUI)
Currently, plannotator opens its GUI using the system default browser.
It would be very helpful if users could explicitly configure which browser plannotator should use — both via configuration and directly from the GUI.
Motivation
- Many developers use different browsers for different contexts (e.g., Chrome for work, Safari for personal, Arc for AI tools).
- Some browsers handle tabs, profiles, or sessions more efficiently for long-running tools like plannotator.
- GUI-based configuration is important for non-CLI-heavy users and improves discoverability.
Suggested approaches (examples)
Configuration / CLI
- A CLI option (e.g.
--browser chrome) - A config file setting (e.g.
browser: chrome) - An environment variable (e.g.
PLANNOTATOR_BROWSER=chrome)
GUI
- A settings/preferences panel where users can select:
- Default browser
- (Optional) browser profile
- Changes applied immediately or on next GUI launch
2. Easy way to reopen a closed plannotator GUI tab
If the GUI tab opened by plannotator is accidentally closed, there is currently no easy way to reopen it without restarting the process.
Expected behavior
- Provide a simple command or shortcut to reopen the existing GUI session
- Or expose a local URL / command that allows reconnecting to the running plannotator instance
Why this matters
- Closing a tab is a common accident, especially when managing many browser tabs
- Restarting the entire plannotator process can be disruptive and unnecessary
- This would significantly improve reliability and developer experience
Summary
These two features would greatly improve plannotator’s ergonomics, especially for power users who:
- Work across multiple browsers or profiles
- Prefer GUI-based configuration in addition to CLI options
- Keep plannotator running for long periods
- Treat plannotator as a persistent planning/annotation tool rather than a one-off UI
Thanks again for your great work, and happy to provide more details or feedback if needed!